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i Reprobating A Sinner Tlvur*d«y. March 3. 1988 - THE CHARLOTTE POST - Page 15A By J. M. Uttle INTRODUCTION ^ God's kind of future lies with those who help their fellows be- . cause they want to. who add the touch of compassion to their goodness. LESSON BACKGROUND I - Matthew 25 Includes two parables and a prophecy, all of them emphasizing the Lord's coming In power and Judgment after an extended absence. His coming brings with It an accounting and unchangeable separation. Verses 1-12 tell of a wedding with the attendants awaiting the groom's arrival. That Anally happens suddenly without an nouncement. and finds some of the attendants shut out of the , festivities. Our text presents a dramatic preview of Christ's coming In judgment. We are not told, "The Kingdom is llke_"but, "When the . Son of man shall come In his gloiy ". Our future depends en tirely on our relationship to Him. THE LESSON "When the Son of Man comes as King and all the angels with him, he will sit on his royal throne, and the people of all the na- Uons will be gathered before him. Then he will divide them Into two groups. Just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the righteous people at his right and the others at his left. Then the King will say to the people on his right 'Come, you that are blessed by my Father! Come and possess the Kingdom which has been prepared for you ever since the crea tion of the world. 1 was hungry and you fed me, thirsty and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger and you received me In your homes, naked and you clothed me; I was sick and you took care of me. In prison and you visited me. The righteous will then answer him "When, Lord, did we ever see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink?—The King will reply, I tell you. when ever you did this for one of the least important of these brothers of mine, you did It for me!" (Matt.25:31 -40) You will note that after each pla^e was lifted. I^araoh’ heart was hardened. This evidences that no sinner can t\im to the Lord (m his own. Did you know that? Ycm cannot turn to the Lord on yoxur own, let alone, any time you want to. If the sovereign God of the universe doesn't give you a desire to be saved. you1l never be saved. Salvation la of the Lord from start to finish. After the last plague, the smiting of the ftrst-bom. Pharaoh called for Mo ses at ni^t and said. "Rise up. and go you forth from among my people, both ye and the children of Israel; and go. serve the LORD, as ye have said, and be gone; and bless me also." (Ex. 12:31. 32). It was rx>t until this tenth plague, the killing of all the ftrst-bom of Egypt, that Pharaoh would let the Hebrews go. The Lord had declared: "Arxl the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood. I will pass over you. and the plague shall not be upon to destroy you. when 1 smite the land of Egypt." (Ex. 12:13). The blood on the lintel kept the Hebrews from falling under the Judgment that fell on the Egyptians. Friends, the blood of Christ is the only reason the judgment of God will not fall on this sinner, i have nothing on my own to shield me. that Is by nature I have no safety at all. My only safety Is Christ and His shed blood that covers me. I sit and tremble for you who are trying to be saved by works. You work, and work, and work, but you arc never done. Salvation Is by blood redemption in Christ. It Is the pow er of Christ that delivers a sinner, and the blood of Christ that cleanses a sinner. On my own. I never would have been saved. By nature 1 didn’t want Christ. By nature I hated Him. Have you ever seen that you have a heart of hatred for God? You will before you arc saved. Every sinner ky nature hates God and left on your own you would never come to Christ. Any preacher who tells you that you can be saved ary time you want to Is a liar and the truth is not In him. 'The Son of Man" was a term used by Jesus customarily of him- - self. It bespoke the dual nature of Him who accepted our human- 21 ity for a time in order that we might share His gloiy forever. Verses 35 and 36 of Chapter 25 ( Matt.) offer an amazing state- ^ ment. The King surrounded with matchless splendor, speaks of having been hungry, thirsty, lonely, ill-clad, and in jail. But as ^ Son of Man. Jesus experienced these trials. The Lord was hungry ml when he was tempted in the wilderness. He thirsted at Sychar’s r well and on the cross. He was treated as a stranger by those to whom He came. His clothing was taken from Him at Golgotha. ^ He endured agony and bloody sweat alone in Gethsamane, and from that time until His death. He was a prisoner. At times. His JT most basic yearnings went unanswered. All through the Word of God we see men and women who were reprobated. There was Casin. and that wick^ woman. Jeze bel. Ahab's wife. Then there was Korah and Dathan who accused Moses of taking too much on himself. Read those stories and weep. King Herod is emothcr example of a sin ner being reprobated under the truth. Those >^o live under the truth arc put to test far more than those who Just occa sionally come in contact with the truth of the Lord's servants. King Herod gladly heard John the Baptist but Herod refused to repent. John had told him it was un lawful to have his brother Phillip's wife . Right there. Herod was tested, and refus ing to repent, the Lord withdrew the in fluence of John from him. Herod had John imprisoned, and his wife and naked daughter influenced Herod to kill John. I Sir Many of the needs mentioned are physical and may seem to have no spiritual importance but by teaching and example, Jesus w'made them Important in fulAlllng God's ministry to the whole X person. •• Ministry to the stranger, the sick, and the prisoner are less material, but no less real. The Christian life toward which these verses point Is no mere exercise In avoidance of evil. It Is active and afllrmatlve. In most Instances it does not demand special -. training or experience. Yet, the Involvement In feeding, clothing, »Tand visiting the needy Is accepted at some Inconvenience, ex- '^ pense, and p>erhaps risk to those who engage in It. Hence. It de- ■^mands love, first to the dMne King, and then to all His children,. ^ Revelations 7:15 reads: "Therefore are they before the throne of • - God, and serve Him day and night In his temple, and he that slt- teth on the throne shall dwell among them." Two factors In the j experience stand out: First, Is the presence of the King. That Is according to Jesus' promise; "I go to prepare a place for you. I •^vWill come again and receive you unto myself; that where I am. P there ye may be also." (John 14:23). The second factor is service to the King. Loving care given to His p>eople In their need Is service to Him. If, therefore, we would ^ sing with the Heavenly choir, , Happy In the service of the King, -V our present contracts with the needy ones among His people 5; provide a marvelous opp>ortunity to get Into practice. Dear God, forgive our mistreatment of Your Son through failure to see and serve the needs of others. Amen. i(y)[p[p®[?iT i 'Ihe CfuirCotte Tost 8 SraiNG SAlE St DAYS ONLY! DAYS ONLY! FRIDAY Mar. 4 through ,jr,||;^TURDAY ^ ^ I f , Shop in the Comfort of our, " NEW^ 12 ? am till 6 pm i SUNDAY CLdS^> To Advertise or To Subscribe Call 376-0496 HeoM/ Warehowse Aihktics T^o^iensf, iMl^ifedoMrlve y X/ a T'oek \2m Cash, Mastercard, Visa All Sales Final Sorry, No Checks Accepted When Herod heard John preach, and re fused to repent, right there hU heart waa hardened, he r^ected the truth. But as In the life of every reprobate, there comes a final testing: "But when Herod's birthday was kept, the daughter of Hcrodiaa danced before him. and pleased Herod. Where upon he promised with an oath to give her whatsoever she would ask. And she. being beftwe instructed of her moth er. said. Give me here John Baptist's head in a charger. And the king was sorry: nev ertheless for the oath's sake, and them which sat with him at meat, he com manded it to be given her. And he sent, arxl beheaded John in the prison." (Mt. 14:6-10). This is a sad case oS a soul who sat utKler the truth but rejected the truth. And when the final testing came, at that dance. Herod waa completely sealed for destruction. 1 fear that many here arc scaled for destruction. Even In my own family. The Gospel no longer has an in- flucTKc on you. You have turned your back on the Lord. When you come face to face with the Gospel, you either break in re pentance or you arc hardened. Some have gone deeper In religion than ever before. I don’t know if there is any hope for you or not. Your case may be hkc Herod's and the day may come when you will cut my head off. But I would iK>t exchange places with you for ten million worlds. The world has nothing to offer me. I have everythiirg in Christ. I would that you knew my Ix)rd. Remember, every sinner is given space to repent. EVen I'haraoh anl Herod were giv en space to repent. Elcfore the Lord waa crucified. He waa brought before Herod who hoped to see some miracle the Lord would do. In the 23rd chapter of Luke we have the story of the Lord before Herod and Herod asked the Lord many ques tions, what was my Lord's response? "...but He answered him Olcrod) nothing." When the Lord becomes silent to you. you are Just as good as in Hell already. Herod had already killed the Lord's servant. John. So why should the Lord talk with Herod? He didn't. Herod and his wicked wife and daughter arc in Hell today, and John Is in Heaven. EST COAST You can kill a man other than with agun or knife. You can kill him with slander, as a young man did to me once. But I'm glad it is true that I showed kindness to that man. 1 wouldn't be in his place for ten million worlds. Friends, think on your way. how It is with you and the Lord. Do you know Christ? The Prophet's Column Is a paid adyer- tlsement. HAIR DESIGNS Services Inckxto: Curls,Pemjs,Cuts,Rel8xe8 Color,Press & Curt and Treatments SPECIAL $' on curls and up Owner: DEBRA "DEB" PERRY Licensed Cometologlst Instructor and Platform Artist for: Summit & Clariol 13 years Experience In California 632 N. Graham St. (Corner 10th & Graham) 375”3403 KEITH CLINIC OF CHIROPRACTIC, P.A. EAST WHIPLASH WHAT TO DO IN CASE OF AN AUTOMOBILE ACCIDENT Last year there were forty-three people Injured In an auto accident every sixty seconds. One of every twelve vechicfes on the road was Involved In a collision, and a fatality occurred every ten minutes. When these startling facts were brought to our attention by a recent report on traffic safety, we at the Keith Chiropractic Clinic felt compelled to share some of the Insights Chlropratic has teamed about the damaging effects of auto Injuries. Accident victims frequently suffer from neck and back Injuries. Often the symptoms are hidden-at first Later, they may surface In the fonn of pain, fatigue, numbness, or loss of mobility. Left untreated, they could lead to chronic pain, or worse-pemianent disability. In many cases, a simple, painless Chiropractic examination "now" Is the first line of defense against pain and suffering "later". 568-41 95 ^ 5344 Central Ave DR. STEVEN S. ENGLISH DR. STEVEN J. CREALESE J Chez Maiioiie, LTD SPRING SALE BRIDAL GOWNS REDUCED TO $150.00 AND $250.00 OTHER BRIDAL GOWNS & VEILS 50 % OFF GROUP FORMALS IN TIME FOR THE PROM FROM $20.00 IN STOCK BRIDAL GOWNS AND ORDERABLE BRIDAL AND BRIDEMAIDS GOWNS 20% OFF GROUP BRIDAL SHOES* BRAS $2.50 STORE HOURS: Mon.-Thurs. 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Frl. & Sat. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. CHEZ MARJORIE, LTD. 1531 East Boulevard, Charlotte, N.C. 1-704-332-7589 HAD AN ACCIDENT? SEE US NOW!! WE ACCEPT INSURANCE CALL TODAY FOR APPOINTMENT Dr. Dennis L. Watts 2501 Beatties Ford Road*Charlotte, North Carolina CHIROPRACTIC PHYSICIAN 393-3333 Public Hearing Scheduled On Community Development Program The Mayor and City Council will hold a public hearing on Charlotte's Community Development Program. This hearing will be held to receive comments and sugges tions from citizens on community development and housing needs, and the Preliminary Proposed Statement of Community Development Objectives and projected use for the expenditure of $4,760,000 comprised of FY89 Community Development Block Grant funds, Program Income funds, and Reprogrammed funds. All residents and agencies concerned with the Community Development Program are encouraged to attend. If you wish to speak at the hearing, notify the Office of the City Clerk, City Hall, telephone 336-2247, by noon the day of the hearing. Put your comments in writing so that they will be carefully considered. If you cannot make the hear ing, send your comments to the Director, Community Development Department, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Government Center, 600 E. Fourth Street, Charlotte, North Carolina 28202-2859. HEARING DATE: Monday, March 14, 1088 TIME: 7:30 P.M. PLACE: District »3, City Councii Meeting Nations Ford Eiemantary Schooi A copy of the Preliminary Proposed Statement of Community Development Cbjectives and Projected use of Funds is available for your review at the following locations. Community Development Department Charlotte-Mecklenburg Government Center 600 E. Fourth Street Cffice of the City Clerk City Hall 600 East Trade Street Department of Public Service and Information City Hall 600 East Trade Street
The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, N.C.)
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March 3, 1988, edition 1
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